Posts tagged "Blur Filters"

The new Path blur filter enables blurring along a motion path. The video below demonstrates how to choose the direction and speed of the blur, refine tapering and even distort the shape of the blur to add artistic effects. You’ll also see how to add more than one path for additional control of the motion.

And here are some shortcuts for the Path Blur Filter:
• Command click the end of a path to set the End Point blur to 0 (zero).
• Shift -drag on the Blur Shape path to simultaneously change the direction of both Blur Shapes.

Duplicating and moving a path
• Command -click (Mac) | Control -click (Win) on the blue path or points to move a path.
• Option + Command -click (Mac) | Alt + Control -click (Win) to copy a path.
• Option -click (Mac) | Alt -click (Win) on a blue path curve point to convert it to a corner point (and vice versa).

Tip: an effective way to visualize what the path blur is doing is to make a white layer with a grid of black dots spaced about 50 pixels apart. Those dots turn into streaks that reveal what the blur shape is in local areas.

The new Spin Blur filter creates non-destructive, realistic, motion effects including the ability to spin an object at variable angles, as well emulate traditional strobe effects (including the ability to define the strength, number of flashes and duration). This video will show you how:

Similar to the Liquify filter, the Field, Tilt and Iris Blur Filters can now be applied as Smart Filters in Photoshop CC. The benefit of applying the Blurs as a Smart Filters is that as a result, the manipulations are nondestructive. Not only can you re-edit the filters at any time, but you have access to the Smart Filter mask to selectively show and hide the filter, the Smart Filter Blend Modes and Opacity options and, since you can create a smart object from multiple layers, you can now apply the Field, Tilt and Iris Blur filters to all of those layers at once. In addition, the ability to apply the Blurs as Smart Filters means that we can apply these filters to video clips in Photoshop!
Because the video was recorded before the 2014 Release of Photoshop, the video shows them appearing under Filter > Blur however they were relocated in the 2014 release to Filter > Blur Gallery. And, when in Blur Gallery, the Spin Blur and Path Blur aren’t visible in this video because they hadn’t been created when I recordedthe video!

Tip: because blurring a layer removed a certain amount of noise from the image, you might want to export the mask created in the Lens Blur filter. This will save the mask to a channel. Then, you can convert the layer a Smart Object, load the channel as a selection and add noise back into the smooth, blurred areas using the Noise filter or, add noise using Camera Raw as a Smart Filter. Note: you will need to invert the mask to apply the noise to the area that was blurred.
The video below demonstrates how to selectively blur an image using the Field, Tilt and Iris Blur Filters:

And here are a number of shortcuts and tips for working with the Field, Tilt and Iris Blur Filters:
Will all blurs, you can:
• Hold the “H” key to temporarily hide the Blur interface (pins etc.).
• Tap the “P” key to toggle the preview on and off.
• Hold the “M” key to display the mask.
• Add as many blurs (even mix and match between Tilt Shift, Iris and Field) as needed to a layer, knowing that the multiple pins will create a single unified, intersecting mask).
• Use the option Save Mask to Channel to create an alpha channel.
• Vary the Selection Bleed to expand the blur into the selection. Note, you have to have created a selection before selecting the blur filters or this option will be unavailable.

Specific to the Tilt Shift blur:
• The area between the solid white lines has no blur applied. The distance between the solid and dashed while lines is the “transitional” area where the amount of blur is slowly added over the length of the transition. Beyond the dashed line, the specified blur amount is fully applied.
• Click-drag the solid white dots to rotate the angle of the blur, OR click-drag anywhere outside of the solid white lines to rotate the angle of the blur. Note: if you click, release the mouse and then drag you will add another blur – you must click and drag in one motion, without releasing the mouse between the click and the drag. Add the Shift key to constrain to 15 degree increments.
• Add distortion to the foreground of an image (or rotate the blur to favor the opposite direction). Or, choose Distort Symmetrically to apply distortion to both sides of the blur.
• Use the Focus slider (in the Options bar) to blur the center part of the Tilt Shift blur (if you want the whole layer to start slightly out of focus).
• The Blur Effects panel offers a various settings to customize a Bokah effect.

Specific to the Iris Blur:
• From the center pin to the “free-floating” solid white dots, no blur is applied. Between the solid dots and the solid white circle is the “transitional” area where the blur is applied over the length of the transition. Beyond the solid white circle, the blur is fully applied.
• Option + (Mac) | Alt +(Win) -drag the free-floating dots to move independently (thus making the transitional area asymmetrical).
• Drag the large square on the solid circle outwards to create a rectangular shape Iris blur.
• Drag the small white dots on the outer circle to rotate and/or to distort the circle to an oval.
• Use the Focus slider (in the Options bar) to blur the center part of the Iris Blur (if you want the whole layer to start slightly out of focus).

In this Episode of the Complete Picture, Julieanne will demonstrate her top 5 favorite features in Photoshop 13.1 including refinements to the Crop Tool, nondestructive editing with Blur Gallery and Liquify, increased efficiency with Conditional Actions, practical default Type Styles and support for Retina displays on Macintosh.

In this Quick Tip, Julieanne demonstrates the new Oil Paint filter in Photoshop CS6 to quickly create a painterly image which can stand it’s own or be used as an under painting for more elaborate artwork.

One of the benefits of the new interface that the Blur Gallery use is that you can work on one layer (in this case, adding a blur) yet still see all of your other layers while applying the filter. In addition, you can choose to show your Layers panel while in the Blur Gallery (Window > Layers) to change Opacity, Fill and Blend modes. When finished interacting with your layers, you can choose to hide the Layers panel (and any other panels that are showing), click and select “Reset Workspace” from the Blur Gallery workspace (in the upper right of the interface).

• Add as many blurs (even mix and match between Tilt Shift, Iris and Field) as needed to a layer, knowing that the multiple pins will create a single unified, intersecting mask).

• Use the option Save Mask to Channel to create an alpha channel.

• Vary the Selection Bleed to expand the blur into the selection. Note, you have to have created a selection before selecting the blur filters or this option will be unavailable.

Specific to the Tilt Shift blur:

• The area between the solid white lines has no blur applied. The distance between the solid and dashed while lines is the “transitional” area where the amount of blur is slowly added over the length of the transition. Beyond the dashed line, the specified blur amount is fully applied.

• Click-drag the solid white dots to rotate the angle of the blur, OR click-drag anywhere outside of the solid white lines to rotate the angle of the blur. Note: if you click, release the mouse and then drag you will add another blur – you must click and drag in one motion, without releasing the mouse between the click and the drag. Add the Shift key to constrain to 15 degree increments.

• Add distortion to the foreground of an image (or rotate the blur to favor the opposite direction). Or, choose Distort Symmetrically to apply distortion to both sides of the blur.

• Use the Focus slider (in the Options bar) to blur the center part of the Tilt Shift blur (if you want the whole layer to start slightly out of focus).

• The Blur Effects panel offers a various settings to customize a Bokah effect.

Specific to the Iris Blur:

• From the center pin to the “free-floating” solid white dots, no blur is applied. Between the solid dots and the solid white circle is the “transitional” area where the blur is applied over the length of the transition. Beyond the solid white circle, the blur is fully applied.